Cable-grip



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CABLE GRIP.

No. 876,627. Patented Jan. 1'7, 1888.

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f f .UNITED STATES PATENT Orrrcn.

FREDERICK H. D. BERGMANN, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

CABLE-GRIP.

FiPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 376,627, dated January 17, 1888.

Application filed October 24, 1887. Serial No. 253,230. (No model.)

.To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FREDERICK H. D. BERG- MANN, of the city of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Gable-Grips, of which the following is afull, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, and in which- Figure I is a side view of my improved grip, showing. the. jaws closed on the cable. Fig. II is an end view. Fig. III is a view showing the opposite side to Fig. I, and in which the jaws are shown open and raised up above the cable. Fig. IV is a section taken on line IV IV, Fig. I. Fig. V is a top view of the jaws. Fig. VI is an enlarged end view of the gripping device, showing the jaws in position to be closed on the cable. Fig. VII is an enlarged end view of the gripping device, showing the position of the jaws when raised up clear of the cable.

My invention relates to an improved gripping apparatus adapted to pick up the cable with facility at any point, either directly aboveor between the carryingsheaves, and to lift the cable clear of the sheaves and then apply the full gripping force by the operation of a single lever, and having a second lever which is not manipulated in the ordinary Working of the grip, but when the gripping apparatus is to be lifted independently of the cable, as in passing a cable-crossing or other obstruction, will serve to release the cable and then raise the grip bodily to the necessary height.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents the main frame.

2 is a cross-bar secured to the frame 1. The cross-bar 2 rests in the gripseat and holds the grip suspended in the proper position in any suitable manner.

3 is a sliding frame, which works between the sections of the main frame 1. ends are connected by a pin, 5, on which the jaws are fulcrumed. At the upper end ofthe sliding frame3is secured a cross-bar, 8, connected by a link, 6, and pin 7 to an arm, 10, of alever,11. The lever 11 is fulcrumed at its lower end to a frame, 12, which in turn is secured to the mainframe 1. This lever,

Its lower through its connections, serves the purpose of raising the gripping device when crossing a cable or any other obstruction, and if this lifting force be applied to the frame 3 while the cable is gripped the resistance of the gripoperating mechanism hereinafter described will automatically open the jaws and drop the cable.

' 13 is a handle,which is connected by a rod, 14, to a pin, 15. The pin 15 engages in aslot, 16, on a segment,'17, said slot having a decline,16". By this means the gripping device is allowed a slight play vertically, the decline l6flserving to retain the lifting-lever against any slight downward tendency, but allowing the lever to be thrown forward by sufficient force applied to the grip-operating lever 23,

described below.

9 is a bar or plate, to thelower end of which .is connected a pair of linksflS, which in turn are pivoted to arms 19, said arms being integral with the gripping-jaws 20. The links 18 and the arms 19 form a toggle-connection between the grip-jaws 20 and the bar or plate 9, by which the jaws are opened and closed in the regular working of the grip. The upper end of the bar 9 is connected by a link, 21, to the arm 22 of the operating-lever 23.

24 is a set-nut on the link 21, for the purpose of adjustingitlengthwise. Ahandle, 25,

'mounted on the lever 23, is connected by a rod, 26, to a dog, 27, engaging in customary manner with a segment, 28, provided with ratchet-teeth 29. The lever 23 is fulcrumed at its lower end on the frame 12.

is a cross-frame attached to the lower end of the frame 1. The ends of the frame 30 support pulleys 31, which pulleys ride against the guiderails in the conduit in passing around curves, so as to lessen the friction and protect the grip-frame. The ends of the grip-jaws have beveled portions 32 and flattened sides 33, to ease the'grip around the horizontal pulleys in the conduit at the curves.

34 represents bushing placed on the inside of the jaws of the grip and held in place by screws 35, the bushing being softer than iron to prevent wear of the cable.

36 represents the cable, and 37 the top rail of the conduit.

From the ahovedescribed construction of the sliding frame 3 and bar or plate 9 and their connections with the levers it will be seen that in the regular working of the grip it is operated entirely by the manipulation of grip-lever 23. For instance, if the grip has been brought to its uppermost position by the raising-lever 11 and it is desired to pick up the cable, as after crossing another cable in the same plane, the grip-lever is moved forward, and the sliding frame 3 is depressed by themovement of the grip-lever 23, either by the contact of some projection on the link 21 or bar 9 with a cross-piece of the frame, or by the jaws opening to their full extent. This depression of the entire grip brings the open jaws down on the cable. The grip-lever 23 is now moved backward and the toggle-joint closes the jaws on the cable. As soon as the jaws are closed the upward movement of the bar 9 is communicated by the hiuge-pintle of thejaws to the frame 3, so that the continued movement of the lever 23 in the same direction raises the grip bodily, together with the cable, and the same movement is communicated through the connecting-link 6 to the raising-lever 11, which is thus also moved backward until stopped by its pin 15 reaching the end of the slot 16, when a further force applied to the grip-lever 21 acts to firmly grip the cable, the same having now been sufficiently raised to allow the grip to clear the carrying-sheaves in the conduit, and motion is thus imparted to the car.

If the grip is to be raised without the cable, (as, for example, in passing a cross-cable or any obstruction,) this is effected, as already stated, by means of the lever 11, which lifts directly on the sliding frame 3. This lifting force applied to the frame 3, being communicated through the pivot 5 to the grip-jaws and resisted by the bar 9 and its connections, opens the grip by the action of the toggle-arms 18 19, so as to drop the cable at the commencement of the rising movement, and the grip is then elevated to any desired height.

It is sometimes desirable to close the grip above the cable. This can be effected after the grip has been raised by a forward movement of the raising-lever 11, the depression of the bar 9 being resisted by the grip-lever 23, which thus causes the closing of the jaws. \Vhcn the grip-lever 23 is manipulated, the frame 3 is supported by friction with SllfllClOlli] force to afford a bearing on which grip-jaws are turned. For suspending the grip above the cable, the decline 16 is provided to re ceive the pin 15 on the lever 11; but when the grip is forced down on the cable by the action of the lever 23 the resistance of the spring-pin in the decline or notch and also the friction are overcome.

The construction of my gripping apparatus is such that in its ordinary operation of starting and stopping the car it will descend as far as necessary to reach and pick up the cable, and will pick it up with equal facility in asagging portion between the carrying-sheaves of the conduit or at a point directly over one of said sheaves, and, having caught the cable, will be elevated entirely clear of the cable-carrying sheaves in the conduit before the full motion is imparted to the car, and all this by the manipulation of a single operating-lever.

The practical mode which I have thus devised and carried out of dropping the cable each time the car is stopped and picking it up by a movement as simple as that which is used to tighten the jaws in grips heretofore used possesses these two great advantages: First, the wear of the cable and grip caused by the running of the cable through the grip while the car is at rest is entirely obviated; second, the inconvenience which constantly or frequently occurs with grips of ordinary construction from the accidental dropping of the cable is also entirely obviated. The picking up of the cable directly over one of the carrying-sheaves in the conduit is facilitated by the structure of my gripping apparatus, which avoids any projection of the grip-frame below the jaws, and this mode of making the grip jaws themselves the most prominent part of the gripping apparatus is made feasible by my mode of lifting the entire grip above the level of the cable-carrying sheaves when starting the car.

Having thus described my invention, the following is what I claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A cable-gripping apparatus constructed with a pair of hinged grip-jaws opening and closing horizontally, a frame in which said gripjaws are fulcrumed, having a vertically-sliding movement for raising and lowering the grip, a bar or plate having a vertically-sliding movementand connected to the grip-jaws for opening and closing them, an operating-lever connected to the grip bar or plate for opening and closing thejaws, and a liftinglcver connected to the vertically-sliding plate for moving it up and down and having free movement within certain limits, permitting the moving of the grip-frame up and down by the gripoperating lever after it has closed or opened the jaws, substantially as explained.

2. A lifting-plate vertically movable on the frame, a pair of jaws hinged on the liftingplate, a sliding plate connected to the jaws or grip, a lever for operating the grip-plate, and a leverconnected to the lifting-plate and having a stop whereby the grip-lever may close the jaws and lift the cable before tightly gripping the cable, as set forth.

3. The combination of the frame or plate 3, jaws 20, mounted thereon, plate 9, connected to the jaws, a lever, 23, connected to plate 9, a lever, 11, connected to frame 3, a segment, 17, having a slot, 16, and a pin, 15, engaging in said slot, as and for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination of the frame or plate 3, having grip-jaws mounted thereon, operatingbar 9, connected to the jaws, a lever, 23, connected to said operating-bar, a lever, 11, con

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nected to the frame 3, a segment, 17, having a slot, 16, a pin, 15, on lever 11, engaging said slot, and a supplementary decline, 16, as and for the purpose set forth.

5. The combination of the main frame 1,

I the vertically-movable elevating-frame 3, the

grip-jaws 20, fulcrumed in the frame 3 and projecting downward beyond the lowest part of the frame, the vertically-sliding operatingbar 9, and the grip-lever 23, operating by its movement in one direction toopen and subsequently lower the jaws and by its opposite movement to close the jaws and then elevate the grip bodily, all substantially as herein described, and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

FREDERICK H. D. BERGMANN.

Witnesses:

SAML. KNIGHT, J 0s. WAHLE. 

